If you’ve ever studied, or taught, how the human body works, you may have noticed that the easier a human anatomy diagram is to understand, the less it resembles anything remotely lifelike. That’s why I’m so smitten with the suite of body system characters created by artist Rachel Ignotofsky - her educational images are straightforward, lighthearted and (mercifully) human.
“Human anatomy was one of my favorite subjects in high school," Ignotofsky told me. "I made it a personal project to illustrate the body systems in a playful way that would make children and adults alike excited to learn."
Her playful, artistic approach helps her share the wonder of human anatomy - a subject commonly reserved for older children and adults – with young children. As she began to receive messages from fans all over the world, the importance of her creative efforts started to hit home. She wrote to me:
One message that warmed my heart was from a father whose four-year old daughter suffers from a rare respiratory illness, called Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome. He told me that soon his daughter will need a ventilator to breathe at night, and that my poster will help him with that difficult conversation. It is hard to describe how happy it made me feel to know that my illustration was going to be used in such an important way.
You can view and order posters of all five of Ignotofsky’s body system characters from her shop on Etsy.
Via Street Anatomy
Artwork by Rachel Ignotofsky
